Last Word: Hot Places for a Cold Winter

For those who live in the northern half of the United States, there is a moment when it is impossible not to notice that the reds and golds of fall have finally begun to fade. It is then that thoughts turn to lands where a cotton shirt will suffice. Inevitably, an annual question arises: “So where are the new places to go for winter sunshine?” In recent years, Americans have undoubtedly become more adventurous. Not long ago, devoting space to places like the Maldives seemed a tad self-indulgent. No longer. Recently, I have responded to inquiries about the Cheval Blanc Randheli resort (which debuted in 2013), as well as the new Four Seasons Voavah private island. And elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar has suddenly appeared on my radar, chiefly because of the new Miavana island resort.

Few places dispel a January chill more effectively than Cape Town, where the new Silo Hotel is ripe for an incognito visit. Afterward, I will probably head to Rwanda, where the new Bisate Lodge has apparently taken gorilla viewing to the next level and One&Only Nyungwe House will recently have opened.

Elsewhere in East Africa, the focus of attention seems to be shifting to Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park, so maybe I will swing by the new Roho ya Selous tented camp. Thailand was the first country in Asia where Harper members routinely went on winter vacations, but lately Cambodia has seemed increasingly appealing, a trend that looks set to continue with the debut of Six Senses Krabey Island, which is scheduled to open in 2018. And in recent years, Argentina has proved consistently popular with Hideaway Report readers, so a trip to the new Awasi Iguazú, a lodge of just 14 villas overlooking the world’s most spectacular series of waterfalls, would seem to be a mandatory assignment.